KeePassXC, the popular open-source password manager, has released the first beta of its upcoming 2.8 version, giving users an early look at a significant update after months of development.
One of the biggest changes is the move from Qt 5 to Qt 6, modernizing the application’s underlying toolkit. Linux users have several notable additions to look forward to, including Auto-Type support on Wayland through XDG Desktop Portals and a new Quick Unlock option using Polkit.
KeePassXC 2.8 will also add remote database synchronization and import support through external tools. Keyboard shortcuts can now be configured, and the built-in SSH Agent can generate RSA, ECDSA, and Ed25519 keys directly.
Another Linux-specific change moves application state data from XDG_CACHE_HOME to the more appropriate XDG_STATE_HOME. AppImage desktop integration has also improved, along with a fix for a race condition affecting dark mode detection during startup.
Moreover, KeePassXC 2.8 expands database statistics with passkey and TOTP entry counts, adds suggestions when creating or renaming additional attributes, and improves the Proton Pass importer with support for Wi-Fi credentials, SSH keys, and previously unknown entry types.
Expectably, the release also includes many fixes. These include corrections for application lockups on systems with one or two CPU cores, password strength evaluation for referenced passwords, password generator settings not always being respected for new entries, and several issues with Secret Service integration and browser functionality.
On the security side, KeePassXC 2.8 addresses several vulnerabilities affecting the 2.7.x series and older versions, including issues involving crafted legacy KDB files and browser extension communication. According to the developers, the vulnerabilities are rated from low to moderate severity and do not affect KeePassXC’s core cryptographic functionality.
Finally, the project recommends that users move to KeePassXC 2.8 once the stable version becomes available. For now, however, Beta 1 is intended primarily for testing, and users are encouraged to report any problems they encounter before the final release.
For additional details, see the announcement.
KeePassXC 2.8 Beta 1 is currently available for Linux as an AMD64 AppImage, alongside builds for macOS and Windows. Importantly, this release also adds native ARM64 packages for Windows for the first time.
